Cabrini University president to succeed outgoing Detroit Mercy leader Garibaldi, who has led Catholic institution since 2011
DETROIT — The University of Detroit Mercy announced the appointment of the its 26th president, Donald B. Taylor, Ph.D., last week.
Taylor succeeds Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D., who will conclude his presidency on June 30, 2022, according to a news release Feb. 22 from the University of Detroit Mercy. Taylor will relocate to Detroit from Radnor Township, Pa., where he has served as president of Cabrini University since 2014. His presidency will begin on July 1.
“On behalf of the entire Detroit Mercy community, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Taylor to our University and look forward to his leadership as we build on the momentum of the past decade and set new goals for the institution,” said Michael T. McNamara, chairman of Detroit Mercy's board of trustees and president of Hollingsworth LLC. “Dr. Taylor’s accomplishments and extraordinary experience demonstrate a commitment to excellence that fits well with Detroit Mercy’s vision and mission, and we are confident that he will help the University achieve an even brighter future.”
Taylor has worked in higher education leadership for nearly three decades, and previously served as a researcher and educator at Catholic institutions.
During his time as Cabrini’s president, the university was ranked as one of the Best Northern Universities by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges Edition” in 2019, and Money Magazine ranked Cabrini one of the top 40 Most Transformative Colleges in the nation. Taylor is also responsible for transitioning the school from a college to a university in 2016 and introducing Cabrini’s first two doctoral programs, among many other accomplishments that helped put Cabrini on the map.
Prior to Cabrini, Taylor was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill., from 2008-14. At Benedictine, he also served as the inaugural dean of the College of Science, as well as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences and program director for the biochemistry and molecular biology program.
Taylor earned a bachelor of science in education and a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Memphis.
“It is a great honor, and I am humbled to be selected to serve as the next president of one of the great Catholic universities in our nation at this time in its institutional history, building from the tremendous success and momentum of President Garibaldi’s long tenure at Detroit Mercy,” Taylor said. “In partnership with an engaged Board of Trustees, the Jesuits, Sisters of Mercy, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the greater Detroit metropolitan community, we look forward to leading Detroit Mercy to become the best comprehensive Catholic University in the Midwest."
Garibaldi, who served as the university's first lay president, has led Detroit Mercy since 2011.
Copy Permalink
